By Atek’ojo Usman-Ejima
The National President of Al-Mushahid Initiative for Transparency and Accountability, Ambassador Aminu Majidadi has called on the federal government to quickly wade into alleged shortchanging of Kano victims of Pfizer drug tests that caused deaths of children few years ago.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Majidadi said, there were allegations that the sum of $75 million compensation to victims of drug tests in Kano by a pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, have been shortchanged by some officials of the Kano State government leading to public outcry.
He said, it would amount to double trauma on the parts of victims who lost their loved young ones, only for them to be denied disbursement of US$75 million compensation which was ordered by the Supreme Court and which the company has since paid to the Kano state government.
Majidadi said, there could be no monetary compensation that mitigates the suffering occasioned by illegal testing of drugs that led to loss of children in Kano, stressing that the court ordered compensation by Pfizer was to fulfill legal provisions and to serve as deterrent to other future would-be pharmaceutical companies.
“We cannot compare loss of human beings with financial compensation, but what happened is that the court ordered compensation will serve as deterrent to other pharmaceutical companies not to test their drug on human beings again.”
“The federal government must wade into this matter and investigate Kano State government officials on the way and manner US$75 million was disbursed to victims of illegal Pfizer drug test.”
“When the money was finally paid by Pfizer as ordered by Court, we saw the development as a relief for the victims, but it is unfortunate that the money has not been equitably disbursed or that something untoward happened involving Kano State government officials.”
The anti-corruption czar urged the victims to be patient, stating that the days of playing pranks with peoples’ lives have gone.He added that he was emboldened by President Muhammadu Buhari’s total intolerance to corruption at any level in the country, stressing that the federal government will come to their rescue.
